The Italian Farmer’s Table

Cover of 'The Italian Farmer's Table'

The pursuit of The Italian Farmer’s Table came to fruition after spending several years living in Italy. One of our first experiences was spent working together on sustainable farms with restaurants known as agriturismi. The agriturismi system is a network of farms with restaurants and accommodations that offer a unique way to travel and discover rural Italy. This full immersion into the rhythm of farm life would forever change our philosophies and approach towards cooking and eating and proved instrumental in our development as chefs. Whether tending to the fields to harvest vegetables or mucking out barns and bringing animals to pasture, our agriturismo experience came full circle through our work in the kitchen, where we learned the importance of having a close connection to the land and the ingredients one cooks with.

The idea to write The Italian Farmer’s Table came about after our return to the States where the farm to table mantra was just beginning to gain momentum. Farmer’s markets were becoming increasingly popular and food publications were featuring articles glorifying small organic farms and the importance of eating locally. We felt that a cookbook would be the best way we could bring the Italian agriturismi to life and that their sustainable practices would be appreciated amongst the growing population interested in understanding more about how their food was grown.

In researching for this book our travels brought us into the kitchens and fields of thirty agriturismi throughout the eight northern most regions of Italy. Beginning in Liguria we worked our way up through Piedmont, into the Mountains of Val D’Aosta, and Trentino Alto Adige, over to the hills of Fruili, into the lakes and plains of Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, and the Veneto. Through our photographs, writings about the farms, and the recipes we learned, we hope The Italian Farmer’s Table inspires you to cook seasonally with locally grown products and to get to know a little about where your food comes from.

Buon Appetito!